Man who travelled NZ reveals why South Island roads are better

By Shayne Currie

They are, literally, part of our landscape and have been an important pitstop for many Kiwi road trips.

But the great New Zealand roadside rest area - places to take a break, have a picnic, and enjoy a wonderful view - are becoming endangered, at least on State Highway 1, as more highways and expressways are built.

That’s the belief of Pokeno man Greg Wilson who flew to Queenstown last month, rented a car and drove from Bluff to Auckland over four days to stop at every rest area on State Highway 1 to map out exactly how many are left.

“My motivation for this was that in all previous trips, the focus was to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible and never stopping to investigate these interesting laybys,” he says.

Over the course of his four-day journey, Wilson stopped at every rest area directly positioned on SH1 - they are now marked by a blue and white sign featuring a tree and a picnic table, rather than the yellow ‘rest area’ signs of yesteryear.

“They certainly used to be part of the summer holiday - you pack the car up and you would stop off at one of those areas, unpack the picnic and sit there with the family and nibble, and look at the view.

“That just doesn’t happen now.”

In total, Wilson counted 35 SH1 rest areas in the South Island - eight between Bluff and Dunedin, 12 between Dunedin and Christchurch, and 15 between Christchurch and Picton - most of those latter ones were on the Kaikōura coast, where a new highway has been built following the earthquake in 2016 that caused serious damage to the road.

In the North Island, he counted just 16 SH1 rest areas between Wellington and Auckland - five between Wellington and Taihape and 11 between Taihape and Auckland. Most of those 11 were in the Desert Rd/Lake Taupō area.

He is aiming to add the Northland count. That part of his project has been stalled because of slips and damage that have closed SH1 at the Mangamuka Gorge in the Far North, but he is considering his options.

Wilson points out the safety benefits of rest areas.

“There’s been a lot of advertising about having a break, taking a rest. Well, with those areas disappearing, there’s really no place to do that.”

Of course nowadays, many Kiwi motorists use convenience stores and service stations dotted along expressways, but Wilson would love to see more traditional rest spots.

“It is probably a lost cause, but I would like to see more of them. I’d like to see some on the expressways and have them better signposted as well - with easier access. Having more of a driveway into them.”

He had some favourites. A rest area near Waimate was “very pleasant” on a beautiful, sunny day. It also had a clean and well-maintained bathroom.

He loved the South Island roads more generally, with fewer cars and potholes.

“I don’t know whether it’s because they don’t have as many heavy trucks or whether they do a better job of building the roads, but they were in a lot better condition than the North Island roads,” says Wilson, 66, who is officially retired but still works on Saturdays at the Pōkeno Whisky as a tour guide.

He also enjoyed the Kaikōura coast drive and the new Transmission Gully out of Wellington.

“One funny part of the trip was coming north out of Wellington and I passed Liz Gunn and her bus. I would pull over and her bus would pass me and then I’d pass the bus again. Between Wellington and Taihape we probably passed each other about, half a dozen times.

“You know, I couldn’t get away from them.”